Every time I landâŚ. feeling in good hands with Delta. Something about this airline is reassuring from take off to deboarding.
A warm day here in St. Paul to kick off the weekend. Enjoyed a scooter ride up and into Como Park, a walk through the Japanese garden, and some book reading under park trees. Perfect afternoon.
The Atlas Ankle Sock Review - Simply the Best, Probably
Socks are such a standard attire item that we donât talk enough about them. But they are some of the the most important things you put on your body (nearly?) everyday, and keep you comfortable during any kind of foot travel.
So let me tell you something â Iâve gone through a lot of different socks and brand over the years, mostly trudging through them with sneakers, fitness shoes, boots, and zero-box shoes. The most comfortable, well-cushioned, and resilient ones Iâve come across (and now use exclusively as a daily driver) are Ministry of Supplyâs Atlas Ankle Sock.
While these probably look fairly basic to the eye, these are extremely well-engineered.
- Theyâre very well-cushioned in all the right areas. Specifically, the reinforced cuff tab is super cushy and wraps you in comfort against any kind of rear-side of a shoe that you might be wearing. Itâs genius.
- Itâll likely sit under the ankle and just pop out slightly when wearing lower-cut shoes. Not quite invisible, but Iâm not even sure that matters or is fashionable anymore.
- Theyâre fairly odor-resistant even though these are made of a combo of cotton and elastane. They say itâs also infused with coffee via a recycled polyester, but I have no idea how that works other than that it does seem to deliver on the promise.
Anyway, this isnât a paid endorsement by any means, just calling out a great everyday item. Iâd imagine these work for any gender, and operate best in non-loafer types of shoes, but your usage may vary.
Jemima Kelly has an invigorating opinion piece pondering where all the admirable, virtuous role models have gone.
As the west has moved away from ethical outlooks that focus on virtue and towards a utilitarianism that emphasises the outcomes of our actions rather than the content of our characters, we are less inclined to look for exemplars of virtuousness to emulate.
Absolutely on point. Thereâs a generational opportunity to fill the gap here, and itâs something we can all rally in contributing towards.
This is an absolutely bonkers story detailing how a man named Mickey Barreto stayed in the New Yorker hotel for five years, paying just one nightâs rate. You know, every once in a while, the NY Times nails a tale like this.
Another notch towards disinformation dystopia… Microsoft researchers warn us (as if we weren’t already concerned) about the dissemination of generative AI into video-based platforms. Honestly, video has always been a concerning format for news â it’s prone to visual biases. This doesn’t help.
Great piece from Bryan Hansel on unread books:
Unread books are a way to know that we donât know. Itâs being humble. I believe thereâs a saying thatâs something like this: the more you know, the less you know you know.
Aggregator Review Sites & Hints of Their Degradation
Ben Brooks has a well-appointed linked commentary up for a post by HouseFresh, detailing the bankrupt state of âgenuineâ product review sites. Ben (and I, for that matter), have been writing product reviews for objects of interest for over a decade, and I definitely can say that there are fewer reliable sources to cross-check and research these days.
I recommend the linked-to HouseFresh post, and then Benâs remarks. All progressive thoughts on this space.
A few take-aways
- Trust erosion. Can anyone take Wirecutter seriously anymore, post-NYT acquisition? Does anyone trust other sites with heavy brand collaboration, like Carryology, where inherent bias must exist? Or any heavily ad-monetized aggregation site? Like the noted air purifier in HouseFreshâs post that imploded, how is it we can trust products that are recommended or have high customer reviews when the company is peddling a poor product and canât even sustain itself?
- Broken visibility. There are concerns that actual review sites are surprisingly poorly ranked in search engines (though itâs unsure how large-language models will handle these â Iâd hope they respect the good ones).
- Affiliate acquisition. Ben also notes that many âconglomerate type companies have bought out once reputable brands to sell utter shit contentâ, which is absolutely true. This is affiliate/aggregator site M&A planning 101.
- Review integrity. Review enshittification is certainly happening, and Ben summarizes likely whatâs happening in many review industries: âa lot of people will review something after a day, without harming the item, so they can go ahead and return it from where it came and get their money back… they need the money back, itâs expensive, and they need a lot of content to publish on a frequent basis.â
Another concerning trend â 80% more people are tapping their 401(k) accounts than pre-Covid. This, plus record credit card balances, and an unexpected US inflation rise to 3.2% last month, are problematic. What are all the catalysts? This is feeling like the subprime mortgage crisis all over again.
Truly epic and inspiring achievement from Cole Brauer, the first woman to race non-stop (and complete the entire thing) around the world solo.
Casual, introspective interview with The Zone of Interestâs director, Jonathan Glazers, who I only just now realized has put out four full films during his career. Basically: âcinema should be a radical political space in this day and age.â
My favorite detail about the Kottke.org redesign is the share button at the bottom of each post is simply a shortcut action to copy the permalink. Chefâs kiss.
Nice piece on the Criterion Collection. I like the details on their approach to streaming:
Criterion made a conscious decision ⌠to use the architecture of streaming technology differently from the way others have. Instead of an algorithm, viewers are guided to what they might want to watch through careful human curation
You could have guessed this would happen⌠âGhost Kitchens Are Advertising AI-Generated Food on DoorDash and Grubhubâ. Via 404 Media.
Didn’t realize the Honeycrisp apple was such a delicately engineered fruit that many thought was prone to long-term economic failure:
Honeycrisps are an expensive apple to produce because they bruise easily and unlike most varieties, they require two hands to pick, which drives up labor costs.
Axios has a good local write-up on the Minneosta-architected apple today.
The Advancement of Circular Fashion
One area weâre seeing a lot of commerce sustainability innovation in is apparel. Several companies, both large and small, have have challenged themselves with goalposts for sustainably producing clothing lines, which has also necessitated differentiated fabrics engineering unique to a company.
Lululemon is one such brand on a mission towards the ecosystem of circular fashion, where they have partnered with an environmental technology company to release an enzymatically recycled nylon. Part of the appeal of this is having a malleable, proprietary textile to deploy and reuse across clothing lines while also checking the box on sustainably sourced materials manufacturing to leave a smaller footprint on output and input against the environment.
Apparel companies using technical or plastic-free organic fibers have an advantage in this space. You see a lot of niche companies out there that specialize in merino wools and encouraging regenerative farming practices excelling in this space. For instance, Icebreaker (specializing in plastic-free fibers, focusing on 100% merino wool usage, and seeking a substitution of remaining synthetics with bio-based alternatives) is at the top of its game, and responsibly sources these materials with decade-long supply contracts. Alternatively, some technical apparel companies like the Colorado-based Western Rise still use plastics-based sourcing, but focus specifically on environmentally-friendly recycled polyester, TENCEL⢠lyocell, SUPPLEXŽ nylon, and, naturally, merino wool.
Hereâs hoping to see more apparel companies continue in materials innovation and strive for a supply chain more in line with regenerative farming approaches that lead to an emphasis on circular fashion. As the rise in positive interest from customers to purchase more sustainably-minded products and more cautiously approach fast-fashion habits, the companies anchoring the foundation of their ecosystems earlier are going to be significantly better off in the near future.
(Note: This was cross-posted on from my LinkedIn)
Disappointing to hear about these pullbacks from the financial behemoths, but⌠at the very least theyâre âshifting from pressuring companies on climate disclosures to pushing them to actively reduce greenhouse gas emissionsâ?
A Trip to Fargo for No Particular Reason
Itâs mid-February, and we decided to make a drive up to Fargo, North Dakota. We had planned this in advance back in January, but it still feels spontaneous as I write this two days into our sojourn. Mainly because we did this without much of a plan, like most spontaneous adventures ought to strive for. And what does one do in Fargo?
Like most trips, we planned to try a few restaurants, a few bars, and a few landmark attractions. I found more notable landmarks on the way up to Fargo than I did in the city itself, whether this is a good thing or an example of my poor research skills for this city... yet to be determined. We found Ole the Viking in Alexandria, MN a nice, 28-foot tall statuesque creation on the bank Lake Agnes. There was also a great little diner there, too (Janâs Place).
Fargo, though, doesnât really have anything like this. Instead, its downtown map signage points out three places to take your picture, one of which is a Super Mario Bros. mural residing in an âalleyâ off Broadway Dr (literally the main drag of downtown). I posed with my dog hovering over the pipe, which was admittedly kind of funny from the right angle. Otherwise, what the city doesnât tout but should, is a considerable amount of notable neons and legacy signs adorning its buildings, including notable ones like Fargo Linoleum Co, the Fargo theater, Empire Liquors bar, and for the âbest gem in the cityâ (as the barista at Young Blood told us) brunch spot, Bernbaumâs. Notable landmarks, perhaps not, but I do love good signage, and bonus points if itâs neon. Their water tower had some extravagant art as well.
Iâll also note that seeing âFargoâ lettering everywhere has its own kind of gravitas, perhaps because of the cultural associations we impress upon the city (which, I suppose if you sum it up, includes the Coen brothersâ 90s flick, the current FX anthology show, and the erroneously-applied âMinnesotaâ accent, even though this is North Dakota, which naturally stems from the titular film). This isnât to marginalize Fargo as merely a poking joke from the vantage of cultural media â it is also an important transportation hub, with Amtrak coursing through it and it seated at the intersection of Interstates 94 and 29. The Air National Guard is there, too. And there is a thematic Nordic undertone to several buildings and naming conventions that we couldnât quite put our finger on, but Iâm sure thereâs something there ancestrally. They do have two sister cities (Hamar, Norway and Vimmerby, Sweden).
But overall, thereâs kind of the bummer with Fargo â and I donât say this lightly, because I love a good small city visit, but thereâs a lack of character here. You can build up a sumptuous fantasy about its barren location on the edge of the Great Plains, but when you get here, itâs sadly drab. Donât get me wrong, the people are friendly and the downtown is fairly lively, but its weaknesses in expressing any level of cultural spirit are evident at every turn, and you eventually wish there was something more to grasp. Maybe itâs because itâs February and weâre in the middle of a confusingly boring winter in the midwest (no snow, lousy March-like brownish landscapes, and sunny but shitty 20s temps). But aside from some neat coffee shops (Young Blood and Atomic, as well as the yet-to-try Twenty Below Coffee), a notable hotel (The Jasper), and truly fiendish dive bars (Empire Liquors hits the spot), there just isnât much to stick around for. Maybe we were hanging in the wrong areas, but I really didnât get a sense of where to be.
This is also a driving city, no doubt, so itâs not really walkable except for the downtown area â the neighborhoods are connected by massive suburban-sized avenues buttressed by sparse strip malls that seem unwelcoming to walkability. And sure, I marked a smattering of spots to check out beyond this main drag (really wished we would have tried Sickies Garage), but I donât know â we didnât feel the pull of adventure here. There wasnât enough city-cohesion. And we usually venture out in these places...
Anyway, there were several things we did enjoy, and more featured in my Fargo travel guide map here:
- Jasper Hotel: Solid hotel with the right vibes, though it felt completely out of place in this city. It towers above nearly all the other buildings, which nets long-drawn vistas in the upper visitor floors. Lounge area is cozy, with a great restaurant on the first floor (Rosewild) serving breakfast through dinner most days.
- Empire Tavern: Cash-only dive with a long bartop wrapping around to a cluttered rear of tables, slot machines, darts, and oddly arranged restrooms. Ah, but there is more than meets the eye here â we arrived mid-afternoon, and were handed a coupon for each drink we ordered. Then every ten minutes they announce a winner, who gets free drinks with their companion(s). Let me make this clear: any drink you want. We won twice in a row and it was the best feeling in the world.
- Young Blood Coffee: Inviting spot just around the corner from the Broadway drag. Great, classic coffee menu with a few baked goods, and a comfortable space to hang. They also appeared to roast their own beans (kudos), and the packaging had a sassy artistic lilt, worth picking up if youâre in town.
- Margeâs Diner: While we also did a good brunch at Bernbaums (order at the counter, get-your-plate-dropped-off-after-picking-a-seat kind of place), Margeâs had marvelous North Dakota charm and an appeal many of the other places didnât. That warm accent was quietly heard all around us, and while the menu wasnât anything out of the ordinary, the BLT hit nicely. The decor was also a tour de force of tchotchkes, miscellaneous art pieces, and colorfully mismatched wallpapers.
- Zandbroz Variety: How can you not visit the local bookstore? This one is a gem, too. Itâs a combo bookstore with a section for home decor, and a sneaky around-the-corner mini store-in-a-store featuring rows of old used books with a focus on the Great Plains. My wife picked up a 19th century Statutes of Minnesota tome that looks like something out of a museum. Fantastic.
- And for a real weird time... thereâs this steakhouse called 84 Italian Steakhouse inside the Radisson Hotel, that we were too tempted not to try. The vibe was so completely off we had to stay for a drink and dinner. It was dimly lit with an off-blue glow, with the music turned down to barely inaudible levels, and the seating arrangement (especially the bar location) feels like youâre intruding on the layout of the hotel rooms.
In summary, the trip was oddly worth it, but I canât say itâs a destination unless youâre compelled to check it out for reasons unbeknownst to me (youâre a Fargo film enthusiast?). Itâs not a bad weekend jaunt if you like in the Twin Cities, either, since this is only a 3.5 hour trip. It's magical in an overcast kind of way.
Otherwise, if youâre cruising through the plains, definitely take highway 90 through South Dakota instead and head to the Badlands and the Black Hills.
Finally posted a proper blogroll on my site. Saw some others rebooting this idea and had to fall in line â it’s such an important, dare I say ‘relic’ of the web of yore, that we should be bringing it back to all our blogs, especially as algorithms and social platforms override the indie web.
True Detective: Night Country was a succinct masterclass in whodunit that delivered a rewarding cohesiveness to all character arcs. It’s too bad it was only six episodes â it was drenched in a blustery winter vibe that was enjoyable to visit â but it was also the perfect length.
Not sure if this actually counts as urban sketching or simply watercoloring, but I made an attempt at capturing the vibe of a truly escapist pull-tab we ripped through a few weeks ago (Bank Roll). And yeah… that $50 win simply subsidized the investment it took to get to it.
The Simplebits team rolled out a whimsically experimental club today called Simple Type Club. It comes with all their fonts plus whatever they release in 2024, secret meetings, and some merch. Love what theyâre doing. For context, my blog proudly licenses their Free Lunch font. Worth checking out.
Joan Westenberg wrote an impeccably-tuned condemnation of the injustices of societal engineering inflicted by elites via technological chasms across society. The entire essay is quotable, but hereâs the gist of her observations on a roaring discontent across the globe:
That damage is the result of the elite in every sector, in every corner of society who have been content to grind down the general populace for their own selfish â and intractably large â gains. For too long, technology has sat alongside other mechanisms and failures of power, from financial instruments, political lobbying and careerism to wealth hoarding and environmental betrayal. These elements are always interconnected. And it has created a growing chasm between the elite and the general populace.
This clear and pronounced economic divide is a testament to a systemic imbalance that has long been brewing. The ever-widening gulf between the wealthy and the struggling masses is not a matter of numbers on a balance sheet; it shows a tear in the very fabric of our societies. The concentration of wealth and opportunity in the hands of a select minority has not only deepened the chasm between the rich and the poor but has also ignited a simmering sense of injustice and resentment across the broader population.
More of this, please â using AI to literally unravel the writing from a two centuriesâ old papyrus. Thereâs not a full translate yet, but thus far it remarks about âmusic, food, pleasure. Basically, how to lead a happy life.â
Crisp, clean, and clear product landing page for the new, standalone, pay-one-time-only Campfire by Once (aka 37signals). If anything, they’re very good at getting the point across, albeit in their cheekily pontifical way.